Direction indicator



0. w. soon. DIRECTION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 2| 192l- Patented Feb. 14,1922

I III-II.

lrflfillll we ,ITT

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLAS JVA'ISON SCOTT, OF NEXVGAS'ILE-UPON-TYNE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF '10 TITOMAS CROW, OF NEWCASTL-E-UlON-TYNE, ENGLAND.

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DoUoLAs l VrirsoN Soorr, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at High Vest Je mond, in the city and county of Newcastleupon-Tyne, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Direction Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for indicating the intended direction of travel of a motor or other road vehicle, and which may also be used in a fixed position for directing and controlling traiiic. The object of the invention is to provide an indicator of simple, economical and convenient construction.

In a direction indicator in accordance with the present invention a plurality of revolu'ble shutters are mounted in front of a lamp and adapted to be simultaneously revolved in opposite directions to bring red and green glasses carried by said shutters int-o different relative positions whereby a single red li ht is shown in the normal position, and red and green lights are simultaneously shown when a turningto left or right is intended, the relative position of the lights indicating the direction oi the intended turning.

My indicator is intended to constitute the regulation rear light of a vehicle, and at the same time indicate rearwardly the intended direction of travel of the vehicle.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a lamp fitted with one construction of my indicator; Figures 2, 3, 1- and 5 are front elevations of the housing, the back shutter, the front shutter, and the retaining ring, respectively; Figure 6 is an elevation, and Figure 7 a sectional elevation, of the control. Figure 8 is a part similar view to Fig. 1; Figure 9 is a similar view to Fig. 3; and Figure 10 is a similar view to F 1, illustrat ng a modified construction.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, the indi cator therein illustrated is substituted for the front glass of the lamp 11 (Fig. 1), and comprises two fiat circular revoluble shutters 12, 13 mounted in an annular housing 11- and retained therein by a flan ed ring 15 which fits into the housing and is attached thereto by screws 16. Around the opposing faces of the shutters 12, 13 are provided teeth 17 which are engaged by interposed top and bottom pinions 18, 19 on a driving rod Speeificationof Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 14, 1922 Application filed February 2, 1821.

Serial H0. 441,721.

20, the pinion 19 being attached to said rod by a screw 21, and the pinion 18 being loose on the rod and keeping the two shutters parallel. To the lower end of the rod 20 is attached the rear end of a flexible cable 22 pro tected by a flexible sheath 23. The rod 20 passes through apertures 24, 25 in the housing and through an aperture 26 in an axle 2'1 on which the shutters '1, 12 are mounted and revolve easily, said axle being carried by the radial arms 28 of the housing. The back shutter 12 has an opening 29 covered by a green glass and two uncovcred openings 30, 31 disposed diametrically opposite. The front shutter 13 has an opening 32 covered by a red glass and an uncovered opening 33.

The control illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 comprises a revoluble toothed wheel 3% mounted on a pin 35 carried by a base 36.

in'e wheel 3st, to which the control handle "3'? and pointer 38 are attached, gears with the pinion 39 to which is attached the forward end of the flexible cable 22, said pinion being mounted in a bearing-40. Fitted to the base is a spring stop 11 adapted to engage one of three recesses 42, -13, 14- in the underside of the wheel 34 and hold the control when the oointer points to one or the words, Rear, Big ;ht or Left which are stamped on the base as shown.

The operation of the above described in dicator is as iollows:-The shutters 12, 13 are set so that the red glass 32 coincides with the opening 30. In this, the normal, position the red glass alone is illuminated by the lamp 11, and the indicator performs the functions er the regulation rear light. The pointer 38 the control points to Bear when the shutters are in the normal position. W hen the wheel is revolved in the clockwise direction to bring the pointer opposite to Right, the rotation is transmitted by the pinion 39, cable 22, rod 20 and pinion 19 to the shutters 12, 13 which are thereby r volved in opposite directions un il a stop on the front shutter 13 strikes a stop 16 on the retaining ring 15 in which position the green glass 29 coincides with the opening 33 and the redglass 32 coincides with the opening 31 thus simultaneously showing red and green lights, the red on the right and the green on the left, to indicate an intended turning of the vehicle to the right. Conversely, the counter-clockwise rotation of the Wheel 34: to bring the pointer 38 opposite to Left will revolve the shutters 12, 18 in opposite directions until the stop 4:5 strikes a stop 4;? on the ring 15, in which position the green glass 29 coincides with the opening 33 and the red glass coincides with the opening 31 thus simultaneously showing red and green lights but with the red on the left and the green on the right to indicate an intended turning tothe left.

in the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the opening 32 covered by the red glass is central of the back shutter 12, the green glass 29 being also mounted in the back shutter, as shown in Fig. 9. In the front shutter 13 (Fig. 10) are two uncovered openings, one 48 being central and coincid ing with the red glass, and the other l9 co acting with the green glass. The modified shutters'are oppositely revolved in the man ner above described when the control is moved, and provide a permanent red rear light, the green light being obscured or shown to right or to left of the red light according to the intended direction of the vehicle. Between the two shutters is an annular projection 50 which-keeps the shutters parallel. The projection is shown attached to the rear face of the front shutter, but may be attached to either shutter. The driving rod 20 is cut above the pinion 1 9, and the pinion l8 and the axle 27, and arms 28 of the housing 1% are all dispensed with. I

A signal arm 51 (Figs. 8 and 10) is at tached to the front shutter 18 to indicate the intended direction of the vehicle during the daytime when the lamp 11 is not lit.

lVhat 1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A direction indicator comprising the combination of a lamp, a plurality of revoluble shutters having coloured glasses and openings, means {or mounting said shutters in front of said lamp, and means for siinuh tancously revolving said shutters in opposite directions to bring their coloured glasses into different relative positions.

2. A direction indicator comprising the combination of a lamp, an annular housing in front of said lamp, a plurality of flat circular shutters revolubly mounted in said iousin said shutters having coloured glasses and openings, a flanged ring for retaining said shutters in said housing, and means for simultaneously revolving said shutters in opposite directions to bring their coloured glasses into different relative positions.

3. A direction indicator comprising the combination of a lamp, an annular housing in front of said lamp, a plurality of flat circular shutters revolubly mounted in said housing, said shutters having coloured glasses and openings, a flanged ring for retaining said shutters in said housing, teeth around the opposing faces of said shutters, a. pinion interposed between said shutters engaging said teeth, and means for rotating said pinion to simultaneously revolve said shutters in opposite directions to bring their coloured glasses into different relative positions.

i. A direction indicator comprising the combination of a lamp, an annular housing in front of said lamp, a plurality of flat circular shutters revolubly mounted in said housing, said shutters having coloured glasses and openings, a flanged ring-for retaining said shutters in said housing, teeth around the opposing faces of said shutters, a pinion interposed between said shutters engaging said teeth, a flexible cable one end of which is connected to said pinion, a flexible sheath for said cable, and means for rotating said flexible cable to simultaneously revolve saidshutters in opposite directions to bring their coloured glasses into different relative positions.

5. A direction indicator comprising the combination of a lamp, an annular housing in front of said lamp, a plurality of flat circular shutters revolubly mounted in said housing, said shutters having coloured glasses and openings, a flanged ring for re taining said shutters in said housing, teeth around the opposing faces of said shutters, a pinion interposed between said shutters en-- gaging said teeth, a flexible cable one end of which is connected to said pinion, a flexible sheath for said cable, a pinion on the other end of said cable, a toothed wheel rotating said pinion, means for supporting said toothed wheel and pinion, a pointer on said toothed whee], an indicator over which said pointer works, and means for rotating said toothed wheel to simultaneously revolve said shutters in opposite directions to bring their coloured glasses into different relative positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

DOUGLAS WATSON SCOTT. 

